Why Do I Keep Growing Back Bone After 2 Rhinoplasties?

Question

I had primary surgery one year ago, dorsal hump was removed followed by an osteotomy. 6 months later I had a minor revision which involved only rasping down hump (side walls of nose also moved back from first osteotomy, this was never corrected during revision). Now again 6 months after the revision the hump has reappeared. Why does this keep happening to me? Never seen this in other rhinoplasties. Surgeon confirmed excess calcium/bone growth from surgeries. Can I prevent this or correct this?

Nima Shemirani, MD · Answer

Dear Shawn, 

	-It all depends on what it looks like and because of that it is hard to advise you on what is exactly going on and how to fix it

	-It could be that the skin is thin and when the swelling comes down, the bump reappears

	-It could also be excess scar tissue that may respond to steroids

	-If the dorsum is pretty right after surgery, the skin is thinnest where the bone and cartilage meet, that means you need to remove a little extra bone in this area because as the swelling comes down, a bump could be more visible

	Best regards,

	Nima Shemirani

Scott Trimas, MD · Answer

Unfortunately, this is a relatively common occurrence after rhinoplasty especially after hump removal or reduction. Several factors can be involved including the presence of bony spicules that persist after the filing or very active bony calcification. Sometimes steroid shots can help to minimize this from occurring as well as aggressive taping and digital pressure in my opinion. Sometimes an additional revision may be required and further reduction may be necessary. Good luck.

Why Do I Keep Growing Back Bone After 2 Rhinoplasties?

Answers (2)